GUWAHATI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has issued a notice to messaging platform Telegram over the alleged widespread dissemination of pirated films, OTT content and other copyrighted audio-visual material through its platform.
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The Ministry has reportedly directed Telegram to take corrective measures within 15 days and submit an Action Taken Report detailing the steps adopted to prevent, detect and remove pirated content from the platform.
As per reports, the Ministry has also instructed Telegram to strengthen its systems for the detection, reporting, disabling of access to and removal of pirated films and infringing audio-visual content. It further directed the platform to take action against repeat infringers, including channels, groups, bots, user accounts, administrators and associated entities.
Additionally, Telegram has been asked to provide details of its grievance redressal mechanism for film producers, OTT platforms and law enforcement agencies.
The Ministry reminded Telegram that, as an intermediary, it is required to observe due diligence under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. It stressed that the platform should not wait for the government to identify individual piracy channels and said a purely reactive, channel-by-channel takedown approach may not be sufficient to meet its legal obligations.
The notice further stated that copyright infringement is not merely a civil violation but also a criminal offence under the Copyright Act, 1957, and the Cinematograph Act, 1952. It warned that the continued availability of pirated content, evasive compliance or an incomplete response could invite further action under the applicable legal framework.
The action against Telegram comes days after the Centre initiated regulatory action against Meta. Earlier this week, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued a notice to Meta over WhatsApp's proposed username feature and later decided to summon the company regarding Instagram advertisements allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material.
